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The Club PUBlication 12/23/2024

12/23/2024

How to thwart the thief of time
OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS
By HARVEY MACKAY For the Minnesota Star Tribune

Clifford finally decided to go to a psychiatrist to see if he could get help with his decisionmaking problem.
"I understand you have trouble making decisions. Is that true?" the psychiatrist asked him.

Clifford looked at the psychiatrist, somewhat puzzled for a moment, and replied, "Well, yes — and no!"

Unfortunately, many people are like Clifford, a businessman whose problem-solving decisions were keeping him from advancing in the company.

When faced with a difficult decision in almost any endeavor in life, one of the worst things you can do is to procrastinate.

Procrastination is a thief. It robs you of the one commodity that you just can't buy back: time. It throws off schedules. It replaces accomplishment with inaction. It turns dreams into nightmares. December is Procrastination Awareness Month.

When faced with a task that you just don't want to do, many of us simply put it off until tomorrow. That's why tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. And one of these days becomes none of these days.

Putting off an unpleasant task until tomorrow simply gives you more time for your imagination to make a mountain out of a possible molehill ... more time for anxiety to sap your self-confidence.

Most of us can relate to occasional bouts of procrastination — the phone call you have been dreading to place, the project you just can't get excited about, the meeting you should have scheduled two weeks ago. Here are some effective techniques to avoid procrastination: Prioritize tasks. Not all tasks are created equally. Prioritizing helps you focus on what truly matters. Use a priority matrix to categorize tasks by urgency and importance and tackle highpriority tasks first.
Tackle your fear of failure.

Too often, we put off projects because we are afraid to fail. You can't succeed if you don't try, and the longer you put off trying, the more daunting the task looks. Break tasks into smaller steps.

Set clear deadlines. Having a specific deadline creates a sense of urgency and accountability. Assign deadlines to each task on your list, even if they are self-imposed, to keep yourself on track.

Eliminate distractions.
Distractions can easily derail your focus and lead to procrastination.
Identify common distractions in your work environment and take steps to minimize them, such as setting specific times to check emails or silencing notifications.

Reflect on progress. Regular reflection helps you understand what strategies are working and where you can improve. At the end of each day, review what you accomplished and plan adjustments for the next day.

There was once a man named Bob, who was notorious for his procrastination at work.

One day, Bob's boss gave him a simple task: to write a short report by the end of the week. Bob, true to form, decided he had plenty of time, and put it off until the last minute. On Friday afternoon, with just an hour left before the deadline, he finally sat down to start the report.

As he stared at the blank screen, he thought to himself, "I work best under pressure.This is when my creativity really shines!" Just then, the office fire alarm went off, and everyone had to evacuate the building.

Standing outside,
Bob realized that sometimes, even the best procrastinators can't control the unexpected. His boss, noticing his sheepish expression, simply smiled and said, "Well, Bob, I guess you can't procrastinate your way out of this one!"

Mackay's Moral:
Procrastination is the thief of time; guard your moments by taking action today.

Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman. Contact him at 612-378- 6202 or email [email protected].

The Club PUBlication 12/16/2024

12/16/2024

Mad about egg prices?
Wait ’til you see coming insurance hikes.
JILL BURCUM Columnist

"Forget egg prices – your insurance renewals are about to deliver a real blow. Car, health, home...everything's surging. The insurance industry is fighting to stay afloat, and you'll feel the impact."

More than 21 million Americans buy their own health insurance through MNsure and other Affordable Care Act marketplaces instead of getting it through an employer.

Ensuring that they continue to have accessibly priced coverage should be reason enough for Congress to continue the more generous ACA financial assistance put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and then extended through 2025 with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

But if that argument isn't persuasive enough, lawmakers should consider what else is at stake: their political survival.

Because if they don't keep this aid in place, there will be millions of angry consumers facing eye-watering price hikes for 2026 coverage.

And because most people choose a health plan in the fall for the coming year, this sticker shock will become apparent well before the 2026 midterm elections, when the entire U.S. House and some U.S. Senate seats will be up for election.

Elected representatives inclined to brush off this issue, or to use it as a chance to strike a blow at former President Barack Obama's health care reform law, do so at their political peril. Rising costs for eggs and other household essentials are widely considered to have "dampened enthusiasm" for Vice President Kamala Harris.

But Republicans will control both congressional chambers and the White House beginning next year. Who do you think consumers will blame if the cost of their monthly insurance premium increases by 97% or even 116%? Those breathtaking projected increases come courtesy of KFF, a respected nonpartisan health policy organization.

Its analysts have calculated how much more people in various states would pay if the enhanced ACA aid expired.

Minnesota isn't among those states, but its neighbors are.

In Iowa, "premium payments would increase 97%, or $1,080 annually, from $1,116 to $2,196 per year." In South Dakota, "premium payments would increase 116%, or $1,284 annually, from $1,104 to $2,388 per year."

North Dakotans can expect a 91% increase, which translates to an additional $1,080 a year.

Wisconsin residents could see an 85% increase, meaning their coverage could cost another $1,200 a year.

As shocking as those price hikes are, other areas could fare far worse. In Wyoming, KFF projects a 195% increase, requiring consumers to cough up close to $2,000 a year more. Mississippi consumers could see 160% increases. In general, southern states will get hit the hardest.
It's frustrating that KFF's analysis didn't include Minnesota.

But KFF recently released a tool allowing consumers no matter where they live to gauge the impact of the ACA subsidies' expiration. To use it, go to tinyurl.com/CalculateIncrease.

MNsure has also run some state-specific projections.

Officials project that 62% of all MNsure consumers, which translates to roughly 81,000 Minnesotans, will see higher costs if Congress doesn't act.

And "over 18,600 MNsure enrollees will lose access to all financial help."

The marketplace's analysis also suggests that some Minnesotans will get hit harder than others. "The single largest age group that would be affected is 55-64 years old," offi cials conclude. That's unfortunate.

Affordable coverage through the ACA has helped many retirees bridge the coverage gap until Medicare's traditional eligibility age of 65. The ACA has also aided many who are self-employed.

Where state consumers live could have an impact as well, according to MNsure. In southern Minnesota, for instance, 81% of MNsure enrollees will see higher costs, with an average net premium increase of $220 per month. In western Minnesota, 74% of enrollees can expect increases, with an average net premium increase of $175 per month. In the state's northeast, 71% of enrollees will face higher premiums, with an average monthly increase of $179.

The reason for the location variation: Health insurance plans are allowed to charge different rates by geographic area. Consumers in high-cost areas benefit more from the ACA's aid and thus are likely to feel the impact of aid's rollback more than others.

Minnesota coverage costs could go even higher because of the looming expiration of the state-run "reinsurance program," which works in a different way to cushion against individual market price hikes. Minnesota Council of Health Plans CEO Lucas Nesse has long been sounding the alarm about this double whammy and said Monday that "very few can reasonably be expected to budget" for the coming increases if no action is taken.

"Many Americans don't even realize we're on the edge of this health care cliff that will harm them directly," said Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. "It's not right, it's not sustainable, and we need Republicans to join us and extend these enhanced credits so we can give families peace of mind."

Unfortunately, it appears that the incoming Congressional leadership's first 100-days plan includes ending the ACA's more generous aid, according to the Associated Press this week.

Cost will likely be an argument against the aid's extension.
The price tag of the subsidies, which come in the form of tax credits, is estimated at $33.5 billion annually over 10 years. That's a large sum, but consider the cost of the tax exclusion for employer-provided health insurance: $299 billion in income and payroll taxes in 2022, according to the Tax Policy Center.

If the nation is willing to provide an enormous subsidy through the tax system for employer coverage, it ought to do the same for farm families, entrepreneurs and early retirees who don't have insurance through a job.

Congress should act, and quickly. If consumers are already mad about the price of eggs, just wait 'til they get a load of the coming health insurance hikes.

[email protected]

The Club PUBlication 12/02/2024

12/2/2024

THE MUST- SEE FILMS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
By MOIRA MACDONALD
Tribune News Service

LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES!

How about a little popcorn for the holidays?
And you'd best make it a large popcorn. After all, this is when Hollywood tends to think big — superstar talent, epic stories, special effects bonanzas — so we might as well think big, too.

The films released at the end of the year tend to include the offerings that are carrying the studios' highest Oscar hopes. Even if that's not a likely outcome, the distributors love to flood this season with big-name talent. And let's not overlook franchises that come with a fan base. It is, after all, a time of year when people tend to look for entertainment. And if we're looking, Hollywood is certainly going to be selling.

Here's a sampling of what you'll find on screens during the festive season. Note that all release dates are tentative and subject to change.

'Maria'
Director Pablo Larrain's latest deep dive into the life of a prominent woman (previous works include "Spencer," about Princess Diana, and "Jackie," about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) takes place during the last days of the life of opera superstar Maria Callas, played by Angelina Jolie. (In theaters Nov. 27, Netflix Dec. 11)

'Juror #2'
Clint Eastwood directed this legal thriller about a member of a jury struggling with a serious moral dilemma that could result in the wrong person being convicted of murder. The cast includes Nicholas Holt, Toni Collette and J.K. Simmons. (Nov. 27)

'The Order'
In this drama, based on events that took place in the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s, Jude Law plays an FBI agent in pursuit of the leader (Nicholas Hoult ) of a white supremacist terrorist group known as the Order. (Dec. 6)

'Y2K'
It might seem a little late in the year for a horror comedy. Nonetheless, Kyle Mooney's debut film is the story of two high schoolers who crash a New Year's Eve party in 1999. The cast includes Rachel Zegler ("West Side Story"), Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison. (Dec. 6)

'Nightbitch'
The most memorable title of the year? No question. Writer/ director Marielle Heller follows up "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" with this adaptation of Rachel Yoder's 2021 novel, starring Amy Adams as a stay-at-home mother who transforms into a dog at night. (Dec. 6)

'Kraven the Hunter'
If you're grieving the absence of Russell Crowe in "Gladiator II," fear not: Here he is in the latest Marvel Comics installment, playing the father of big-game hunter Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Ariana DeBose and Alessandro Nivola co-star. (Dec. 13)

'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim'
And you thought this franchise was over? Not quite. This animated film uses the voices of Brian Cox and Miranda Otto to tell a story — visually inspired by Peter Jackson's trilogy — of legendary king Helm Hammerhand, who became the namesake of Helm's Deep. (Dec. 13)

'September 5'
Another drama based on true events, this one goes back to 1972, when a group of sports journalists at the Summer Olympics in Munich found themselves covering a hostage crisis. Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin star. (Dec. 13)

'Mufasa: The Lion King'
Barry Jenkins, the director of "Moonlight" and "If Beale Street Could Talk," takes on his first animated feature: a photorealistic "Lion King" sequel featuring the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen and Beyoncé. (Dec. 20)

'The Brutalist'
Escaping postwar Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work and his marriage to Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. (Dec. 20)

'The Fire Inside'
Speaking of Jenkins, he wrote the screenplay for this factbased drama about Olympic boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields (Ryan Destiny). Oscarnominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison ("Mudbound") makes her feature directing debut. (Dec. 25)

'Babygirl'
There was lots of buzz out of the international film festival circuit this fall about this erotic thriller. Nicole Kidman won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival for her role as a CEO who becomes involved with a younger man (Harris Dickinson). Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn directs. (Dec. 25)

'Nosferatu'
Care for a little bloodsucking for the holidays? More than a century after F.W. Murnau's silent vampire film "Nosferatu" (based on Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula") comes this gothic remake, with a cast featuring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor- Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe. (Dec. 25)

'A Complete Unknown'
Timoth & Chalamet plays Bob Dylan. Do you need to know any more than that? (Dec. 25)

'Better Man'
This docudrama is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams (playing himself ). (Dec. 25)

'Nickel Boys'
Based on Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this drama follows two boys at an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. (Date TBD)
MOANA 2 ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ out of 4
GLADIATOR 2 ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ out of 4
WICKED ⋆ ⋆2 . . . out of 4